Irvine, Calif. -- April 1, 2008 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announces its long-awaited return to console gaming with World of Warcraft: The Molten Core™, a spinoff of the 40-person raid dungeon from its award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft®. World of Warcraft: The Molten Core will allow players to experience the excitement of the hit raid dungeon in a completely new format, with new challenges and new rewards.

"Blizzard got its start in console gaming, and we've always been excited about returning to this arena," stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "Additionally, we've wanted to reintroduce the 40-player raid dungeon experience for some time. With World of Warcraft: The Molten Core, we're able to do both."

World of Warcraft: The Molten Core will include single-player and multiplayer versions, fully loaded with nine different shapes (and possibly colors) representing the current World of Warcraft character classes. A future expansion will introduce a tenth shape, representing the death knight hero class. Blizzard also plans to include a full-featured voice-chat system, as well as a fully customizable user interface that allows players to personalize their joystick button with several different functions. A free attunement cartridge rounds out the offering, providing instant access to the complete World of Warcraft: The Molten Core entertainment experience.

Blizzard's World of Warcraft: The Molten Core Collector's Edition, also announced today, will include tinted cellophane TV overlays, further increasing the array of colors available to players. Additional Collector's Edition features, as well as details on the upcoming World of Warcraft: The Molten Core beta test, will be revealed closer to release. World of Warcraft: The Molten Core will initially be available for the Atari 2600 platform, with plans for additional console systems to be announced in the near future.

For more information on World of Warcraft: The Molten Core, please visit Blizzard Entertainment's official website at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/moltencore.

New Hero Class Revealed: Bard

bard classe deeds of every great hero inspire countless songs of triumph,virtue, and epic adventure. But although a hero’s glory endures insong, the creators of those songs are seldom remembered. After agesspent singing of the heroic exploits of others, the bards of Azerothare finally stepping into the spotlight on their own terms, provingonce and for all that while just about anyone can pick up a sword orcast a spell, only a true hero can vanquish evil with the power of ROCK!

Armed with a trusty axe, killer riffs, and a ton of attitude, theguitar-wielding bard is the second hero class to be introduced in theupcoming Wrath of the Lich King expansion for World of Warcraft. Thebard excels both as a solo performer and as part of a solid grouplineup, able to front in a number of roles as varied as his musicalrepertoire. The bard’s extensive Metal skill line grants the potenttransformational ability "I Am Murloc," as well as direct damageeffects like "Epic Solo" that will rock foes into oblivion whilepowerful Indie debuffs such as "Tape Jam" and "Shoegazer" keep them incheck. If things heat up, the bard’s Punk tree can support the partywith a wide range of abilities, such as "Nonconformity," which dispelsfear, mind control, and similar effects, or "Mosh Pit," which brieflyboosts the group’s movement speed while its members stay within range.

To fuel his or her powers, the bard uses a brand-new resource systemcalled "groove." Selecting an ability launches the Fret Bar, which willdisplay a number of riffs the player needs to activate using a newguitar-based keyboard peripheral that will ship with Wrath of the LichKing (a special Frostmourne-themed axe will be sold separately). Thebetter the player’s accuracy and timing, the more powerful theresulting ability becomes. The riffs also become more difficult as thebard’s abilities progress, ensuring that the bard gameplay experienceremains fast-paced and skill-oriented. Executing abilities also buildsup groove, which further fuels the bard’s epic rock powers. Someabilities such as "Epic Solo" require a certain amount of groove to beunleashed, and the more groove, the more powerful the effect.

The time has come for the bards to claim glory for themselves. Nolonger will they remain shrouded in obscurity while less-talentedadventurers are hailed by the masses.